Pharmaceutical quantities of yohimbine found in dietary supplements in the USA

Abstract

In the USA, botanical dietary supplements are presumed to be safe, but this is not necessarily always the case. Extracts of the evergreen tree yohimbe, Pausinystalia johimbe, though banned in many countries, are sold in hundreds of dietary supplements in the USA. We analyzed 49 brands of supplements labelled as containing yohimbe or yohimbine available for sale from seven major retailers in the USA. Supplements were analyzed using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry detectors for quantity of three alkaloids found in P. johimbe (yohimbine, rauwolscine, and corynanthine). The alkaloids were confirmed on the basis of retention time, ultraviolet spectra, and mass spectra against reference standards. The quantity of the most active alkaloid, yohimbine, per recommended serving ranged from none detected to 12.1 mg. Thirty-nine percent of the supplements (19/49) did not contain rauwolscine and corynanthine suggesting that the yohimbine was either from highly processed plant extract or synthetic in origin. Only 11 supplement brands (22%, 11/49) listed a specific quantity of yohimbine on the label. Most of these were inaccurately labelled (actual content ranged from 23% to 147% of the content on the label). Eighteen percent (9/49) of the supplements' labels did not provide any information about yohimbine's adverse effects. Of the 49 yohimbine supplement brands sold at seven major retail chains in the USA, only 4.1% (2/49) provided consumers with both accurate information about the quantity of yohimbine as well as information about yohimbine's known adverse effects.

Assessment of the Authenticity of Herbal Dietary Supplements: Comparison of Chemical and DNA Barcoding Methods

“…The yohimbine contents of the products ranged from 9-150 % of the labelled amount and 15 products (65 %) met or exceeded their label claims. Similar results were reported by Cohen et al [24]. Among a total of 49 yohimbine-containing supplements, yohimbine contents were found to range from 0-12.1 mg per recommended serving/day.…”

“…Among a total of 49 yohimbine-containing supplements, yohimbine contents were found to range from 0-12.1 mg per recommended serving/day. Analyzed contents ranged from 23 to 147 % of label statements for the 11 products (22 %) that listed a specific quantity of yohimbine on their labels [24]. Lucas et al [23] analyzed ten dietary supplements of yohimbine and found that three (30 %) contained no detectable yohimbine.…”

Extraction and UHPLC–DAD detection of undeclared substances in market‐available dietary supplements and slimming products in Eastern region, Saudi Arabia: An application of principal component analysis

“…Y is among the more widely observed illegal substances or adulterants in DS, especially in products with claims to enhance sexual performance or stamina. An amount of 757 mg/kg was observed in one sample (Cohen, Wang, Maller, DeSouza, & Khan, ), whereas another study reported a content for Y in the range of 23–147% of the label content, in products available on the US market (Zhang et al, ). Products claiming to be natural remedies, i.e.…”

Physiological process of fat loss

“…Onakpoya et al 2013). Fat burners contain herbal ingredients such as ephedrine, yohimbine, chitosan, and pyruvate(Eric and Berg 2010), all of which operate on the principle of thermogenesis to increase energy, stimulate the metabolism, and/or suppress the appetite(Shekelle et al 2003a;Cohen et al 2016;Rios-Hoyo et al 2016;Onakpoya et al 2014). …”